Hollow shell
by Loke0
Summary: 2007 movie sequel. Jazz is kidnapped by the remaining decepticons and as the autobots rescue him and everything seems to go back to normal, they soon notice that something is very wrong with him.
1. Chapter 1

**Empty shell**

By: Jaazz

(2007movie sequel) Jazz is kidnapped by the remaining decepticons and as the autobots rescue him and everything seems to go back to normal, they soon notice that something is very wrong with him.

Will evolve into an **IronhidexJazz** fic

**Warning: **contains rape/slash. Dont like, dont read. It's as simple as that

(I know that Blackout is dead, ok? And Jazz too XD)

* * *

It was a calm evening in town and the setting sun was making everything look magical, but what looked slightly out of place was the sight of a pontiac solstice racing down a nearly empty street at full speed. Music was blaring out of it for the rest of the world to hear, but its 'driver' didnt seem to care.

"It's really nice of you to drive us home, Jazz", Sam commented from the backseat and put an arm around Mikaela's shoulders. The girl gave him a tired smile.

"No problem guys! I'm just happy to do something...You know, everything's been so quiet and calm since we got rid of Megatron, but Optimus never relaxes. He rather wants us to stay at our HQ until we know anything about eventual decepticon survivors. It's like he's trying to hinder us from going outside." a barely audible laugh from the autobot followed.

"Sounds like my mom", Mikaela said and smiled as she looked out the window. A few minutes later, they left the center of town and headed out on a small road. The world around them was beginning to fall into darkness and Jazz turned his headlights on, turning down the music a little. The blinking lights of an approaching police car caught their attention.

"Someone's in trouble now", Sam grinned and they watched the car driving past them at full speed. What utterly surprised them all was that the car suddenly hit the brakes, skidding to a quick halt further down the road. It took all of Jazz's efforts to stop in time and Sam and Mikaela screamed as he slid off the road, down into the ditch. His rear bumped into a tree that happened to be in the way and that stopped them from rolling any further.

"Get out!" Jazz shouted and the teens stumbled out of him, moving away to make room for him. They watched in horror as the police car, obviously Barricade, transformed into his robot form. Jazz did the same and was finished just seconds later. They stood in silence for a moment, studying each other and the autobot fell into battle stance. The decepticon on the other hand approached them calmly, keeping his optics fixed on the lieutenant. Sam and Mikaela backed away slowly behind their friend, keeping their distance and a sneer became visible on Barricade's face as he stopped in front of his enemy. In the blink of an eye, he had Jazz pinned to a tree.

"Hey..long time no see", the decepticon said, a sarcastic hint in his voice. Jazz struggled a little but then stopped as he realized that it was no use.

"Sam! Mikaela! Get away from here!" he shouted and turned his head, trying to look back at the kids.

"Oh dont worry", Barricade started in a pretended friendly tone. "I'm not here for them.." his red glowing optics met Jazz's blue ones for a second and the autobot's face expression turned into a confused, yet suspicious one.

"Then...what do you want?" he wanted to know, starting to feel more angry by the second. The decepticon's grip on him tightened slightly and he leaned in closer.

"You." There was silence for a moment, where only the sound of the wind blowing in the trees could be heard.

"...Forget it", Jazz hissed and squirmed, trying to get Barricade out of his face.

"If you come along nicely, I wont hurt the humans..", the bigger robot told him calmly, patiently awaiting an answer, sharp claws digging into the smaller one's arms.

"I dont make deals with decepticons!" the autobot spit back. "Besides, why would you let the humans go?" the decepticon looked frustrated for a moment.

"I dont need them!" he narrowed his optics, boring them into Jazz's before glancing over to Sam and Mikaela. "Run little fleshlings, before I change my mind!" he roared and the girl stumbled back a little in surprise, standing behind Sam. The boy looked at Jazz for a long while, as if trying to understand what the mech wanted them to do.

"You heard him...", the lieutenant growled, turning his head as much as he could to be able to see the kids. "Go.."

"But..", Sam began, looking stressed and frustrated.

"GO!" Jazz ordered them and struggled in the strong hold the decepticon had on him, knowing that it wouldnt do him any good. The boy took Mikaela's hand and they began to run down the small road leading down among the trees.

"We'll tell Optimus! Dont worry!" he promised.

"Decepticon freak!" the girl added right before they disappeared out of sight of the two robots and Barricade growled, but to Jazz's surprise, he let him go and took a step back.

"Going to come along nicely?" he asked, smirking at the autobot. "Try to escape and I will hunt them down. You may be fast but I might be faster...and you dont want to risk the lives of those fleshlings, do you, hmm?" Jazz glared at him from behind his visor and stepped back up onto the road.

"shut up..."

* * *

Half an hour later, Sam and Mikaela finally arrived back to the autobot HQ. It was an impressive building indeed. It lay at the other side of the forest, not to be discovered by any unauthorized visitors.

"Optimus Prime?!" Sam yelled as they entered the building, looking around the huge premises. No one answered right away, but after some time, they could pick up noises which confirmed that someone was around.

"Hello?!" Mikaela called then as they walked carefully over the shiny floor. A shuffling sound could be heard suddenly, and Bumblebee's face became visible in the doorway of a nearby room. A noise that could be identified as a sign of happyness escaped Bee's throat as he stepped over to the pair.

"Hey guys!" he beamed and crouched down, to get as close to them as possible. "What's up?" The kids looked at each before turning back to Bumblebee.

"Well...how should I put this....", Mikaela watched him frustrated before opening her mouth.

"Jazz was driving us home from town but some decepticon showed up and...and well, kidnapped him", she told the robot, putting on a strange face expression that Bee couldnt really understand, but his optics grew wide. Before he could reply though, Ironhide appeared behind him, scratching his right arm. The weapons specialist nodded at them and walked closer.

"Jazz got kidnapped by decepticons?!" Bee exclaimed, after have recovered from the shock.

"WHAT?!" Ironhide's voice rumbled from behind him, startling Sam and Mikaela. Bumblebee got up and turned to his friend, optics widened.

"They've got Jazz! What are we gonna do?!" before Ironhide or anyone else could answer, Bumblebee spoke again. "We get Optimus! Where is he?!"

"He's out! Do you ever listen to him?" the big black robot shook his head. "I'll try and contact him. Get Ratchet!" Bumblebee quickly did as he was told and ran off down the hallway, in search for the medic.

* * *

It was now dark outside and somewhere at the outskirts of town, two vehicles were driving on a desolated gravel path, with only some trees surrounding them on both sides. Jazz had been quiet all the way, pondering on a possible way to ditch Barricade, but the fear of that he would go after Sam and Mikaela if he tried anything made him stay put on the road. Even if he would be able to get to them before the police car did, there was always the chance that another decepticon was already keeping an eye on the humans. He had a lot of questions running through his mind right now, but he thought it best to wait with asking until they arrived to whatever place those creeps called their "home." A great ironfence revealed itself in front of him in the dark and he slowed down, making Barricade bump into his rear. Intentionaly of course, since the decepticon had had all the time in the world to hit the breaks. A derisive chuckle followed and he drove passed Jazz and transformed close to the gate, smashing it to pieces easily. Behind the gate was a huge junkyard, stretching as far as their optics could see in the darkness.

"What are you waiting for?" Barricade growled and turned a little, glaring expectingly at the autobot. Jazz stared at him for a few seconds, knowing all to well what the creep wanted him to do, so he slowly took a step forward, surveying his surroundings. He didnt have the chance to take another step before the other robot showed him hard in the back, making him stumble forward.

"Hurry up, will you?!"

"Hey! You freak!" the smaller one snapped back and avoided a punch. Barricade just growled at him as they kept walking deeper into the fortress of trash. Another voice sooned joined in.

"Ah, well done Barricade", the autobot hesitated suddenly, knowing that voice all too well. "I'm surprised you managed to find an autobot so fast", the form of Starscream soon appeared in front of them and Barricade walked ahead, leaning against a pile of junk, watching the two other robots. When Jazz finally felt that he had a decent picture of the situation, Blackout showed up by Barricade's side, sneering at the poor autobot.

"Well, I'll be damned..", Jazz snorted as he moved around a little, warily observing everything around him. "So this is where you've been hiding..." he shook his head.

"Smart autobot..", Starscream smirked as he rounded him, taking in every inch of the bot.

"Too bad I cant say the same thing about you", Jazz replied calmly, keeping his optics on the seeker. None of the decepticons replied to this though. "Well", he continued. "This has been fun and all but uh..I really need to get going now", both Blackout and Barricade approached him and Starscream grabbed him roughly.

"You're not going anywhere", he then pushed Jazz up against the pile of trash, holding him in place so that he could hardly move. He struggled anyway of course, but was soon thrown to the ground, having all three decepticons looking down at him with big grins on their ugly faces.

"Why go so soon?" Barricade crouched down to him, his smirk grewing wider. "The fun hasnt even started yet."

"Get away from him you fool!" Starscream kicked at him and glared at both his comrades as they backed away, glaring back at him. "I'm going to have my way with him first! Then maybe you'll get some"

"Who says you're first!?" Blackout snapped, taking a step towards the jet, almost stepping on Jazz in the process.

"That's what we decided on you moron!" Starscream replied in a slightly high pitched voice.

"That's what YOU decided on", Barricade growled and silence occured for a moment where the three of them glared at each other. Before Jazz even had the time to think of sneaking away, the seeker crouched down to him and he shuffled backwards until a pile of junk stopped him and Starscream smirked, closing in on him slowly. The autobot gasped and flinched as a hand was placed on his tight.

"You're a fine autobot, arent you?" the decepticon stated with a smooth voice, stroking the tight, letting his hand travel further up. Jazz stiffened suddenly, his chin dropping slightly when he realized where this was going. He then did something he never thought he would ever do. He looked at Starscream with pleading optics, shaking his head no, silently begging for him to stop.

"Hurry up Screamer!" an unpatient Barricade growled, rounding the pair.

"Shut up!" the seeker yelled and proceeded by pinning Jazz down in the mud. He pushed the autobot's shoulders down painfully hard, licking his grinning mouth.

"I warn you..", Jazz hissed and struggled some more, managing to get his arm free and slapped Starscream across the face. The decepticon looked shocked for a second and the other two laughed at him.

"I wouldnt do that if I were you", the jet growled, glaring down at his victim. "Now be a good bot and keep still", he then leaned in and started kissing Jazz's neck roughly, while his hands traveled down his waist and chassis, caressing him with little gentleness. The autobot made a try to push him off but it only resulted in him getting his arms pinned down to the ground. The two other decepticons walked around, watching them hungrily. Then Starscream pulled back momentarily, studying the frightened robot underneath him, before reaching down between his legs.

* * *

Three vehicles drove through the sleeping town, pushing at their speed limits as much as possible and one of them broke the silence.

"I dont feel good about this...we should await orders from Prime...", Ratchet's worried voice almost echoed in the empy area they found themselves in at the moment.

"I...know", replied Ironhide's unusually low voice a few seconds later. "but we havent been able to contact him, remember? He'll contact us as soon as he hears my message."

"At least we left Sam and Mikaela at the base..", Bumblebee tried in a comforting manner. "In case Optimus would come home, he'll know where we're going." An uncomfortable silence occurred as they drove on for another minute, picking up on yet another distress signal on the way.

"I guess you're right Bumblebee...." came the medic's reply. They drove on for some more minutes, no one saying a word for the rest of the trip.

* * *

For Jazz, time had stopped. He didnt know for how long he had been in the clutches of the decepticons or even what time it was. All he could concentrate on was the increasing pain that was searing through his bum and abdomen. Even though it hurt so much, he couldnt give them the satisfaction of hearing him moan about it, so he kept his mouth and optics shut, hoping to Primus that it would stop anytime soon. His dull head was aching and he felt extremely dizzy everytime he attempted to move it. When Starscream pulled out of him, he shuddered, almost feeling relieved as the pain subdued and those hands were withdrawn from his body.

"Well, arent you one lucky autobot?", Barricade chuckled as he towered over him, touching his face carefully. Jazz flinched and made a disgusted sound as the decepticon embraced him in a not too gentle manner. He had to force his optics open, watching as Starscream strolled about, looking pleased and Blackout was still frustrated, kicking at some rocks, wanting nothing more than to get his hands on the autobot. Barricade, who didnt seem to have much patience, grabbed Jazz's tights, separating his legs easily.

"..Please..", the silver bot's hoarse voice broke the silence and he tried to pull his legs free. "Please no more....", he hated to sound so pitiful and he wouldnt want to show any weakness in front of the decepticon creeps, but he wasnt sure that he could take any more of it, as he felt ready to faint any second. Barricade smirked at him and caressed his cheek slowly.

"Dont worry, I'll be gentle", he said in a quite sarcastic voice and Starscream laughed, while Blackout snorted, muttering something that sounded like he wanted the other robot to hurry up already. Jazz howled in pain as the decepticon pushed into his sore bum, humping him like there was no tomorrow. The autobot felt warm tears running down his cheeks and he struggled for all he was worth, even though he knew very well that it wouldnt help him, but everything stopped suddenly as the roar of driving cars reached all of their audio receptors. Starscream hurried over to the broken gate. He stood in silence for a while before turning back to his comrades.

"Autobots!" he growled. "Blackout! I told you to block the autobot's distress signals! They know we're here!" Barricade pushed in a few times more before pulling out, seemingly enough satisfied judging from the situation.

"I did!" Blackout defended himself, approaching the seeker.

"It doesnt matter now! We're getting out of here!" Starscream then moved over to Jazz and grabbed him, pulling the autobot up to his feet.

"But! What about me!" the helicopter protested. "You said we'd share him!"

"Another time, Blackout!" the jet's patience was running short and they all stiffened as they could see movement in the dark and the sound of roaring engines was coming closer. Starscream shoved Jazz hard, making him fly forward and right through the broken gate, landing on the muddy road on the other side. He then transformed into his plane form and took off with Barricade and Blackout high on his heels and Jazz lay on the road, unmoving.

* * *

The silver mech realized that he must have blacked out, cause when he came to, Ironhide and Ratchet skidded to a halt close to him, only their headlights made it possible for them to see anything in the dark. He groaned and pulled himself to his feet, despite the pain.

"Jazz!" Ironhide's rough voice forced itself into his aching head and he flinched as he felt hands upon him. He backed away, trembling as Bumblebee transformed as well and the three of them watched him, confused.

"Jazz..?" Ratchet tried this time and approached him carefully. The lieutenant was covered in mud and other unidentifiable fluids. He had cuts all over his chassis and arms and it looked like the decepticons hadnt been all too nice to him. The medic reached a hand out to the trembling bot but stopped as a beeping sound errupted from the weapons specialist.

"_Ironhide? This is Optimus. What is going on and where are you?" _The black mech glanced around at the others, not sure of what kind of answer to give to their boss.

* * *

Well....tell me if you want me to update?


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews guys ^^ they're always appreciated. I'm glad you're enjoying my story ^^ so here's the next chapter then

* * *

"_Ironhide? Are you there..?" _the four autobots stood motionless in the dark, listening to the crickets.

".....Yes....yes I am....", the weapons specialist answered Optimus and threw a glance at Jazz before turning away. "We're on our way back to the base...we'll explain when we get there."

"_Good. I got your message...is Jazz alright?" _Ironhide looked over his shoulder, his optics meeting with the ones of Ratchet and Bumblebee.

"Yea....uh....." silence filled the air.

"_Just get back here, all of you..."_ the clicking sound that followed told him that the conversation was over and it was time to go.

"What did he say..?" Ratchet wondered as the black mech turned back to them, looking down for a second before locking optics with the medic.

"Not much....we're going back to the base.." his optics then wandered over to Jazz and Bumblebee. The yellow bot was trying to make contact with the seemingly stunned lieutenant.

"Bee..leave him alone", he muttered and Ratchet stepped forward catiously.

"Jazz?..Are you alright?" the silver mech stared off into space before slowly turning his head to look at his friend. A slight nod followed.

"...I..", he cleared his throat. "I'm fine...", he whispered with a wheezing voice. The others watched his efforts at transforming and then did the same.

"I think not", the medic stated as they drove off. "I better have a look at you when we get back home." Jazz choosed not to answer to this.

* * *

Some time later they arrived back to the base. A Small lantern was glowing in the dark, right above the front door and their great leader Optimus was waiting for them by the gate. A worried, yet stern espression showed in his features as his soldiers transformed, taking their sweet time. Ratchet walked up to the gate, followed by Ironhide, but Bumblebee lingered down by the road, waiting for Jazz complete his transformation.

"Would someone please explain to me what is going on?" came Optimus' strict voice as the medic and weapons specialist walked up to him. They glanced at each other and Ratchet looked back down the road where the two others made their way slowly up the path to the gate.

"I'm not sure..." he looked at Ironhide for help. The black mech was quiet for a while before opening his mouth.

"We found Jazz outside some sort of junk heap and the decepticons took off before we had the chance to react.." Optimus' face expression darkened.

"Who were they..?"

"Hmm....I saw Starscream...and Blackout...there were definitely three of them...yes...", Ratchet seemed to be deep in thought, but the leader turned his head, instead paying attention to his lieutenant. They all watched in silence as he walked past Optimus but was suddenly stopped when a hand gripped his arm firmly. Bumblebee who had been walking right behind him stopped as well and looked curiously at their boss.

"Jazz?" Optimus asked cautiously but got no answer. ".......Are you alright?" there was silence for a moment before the silver mech turned to look at their leader. He nodded slowly and then forced a smile. A few seconds passed by where no one said anything and then Jazz pulled his arm free and headed into the building, towards his room. Bumblebee followed him down the corridor, hoping to be able to find out why his friend was acting so strange. Outside in the dark, three confused autobots stood, pondering.

"Something is wrong", Ironhide commented with a strangly soft voice.

"No kidding", Ratchet murmured and went inside. The two remaining bots exchanged glances before following the medic, closing the door behind them.

"Ratchet?" Optimus called after him. "I want you to check on Jazz. He might be more damaged than he lets us know." The yellow mech nodded and headed down the hallway.

"When I get my hands on those creeps..", Ironhide grunted, clenching his fists.

"Calm down Ironhide...We'll get them soon enough......we'll get them."

* * *

Jazz hurried into his room, locking the door behind. Closing his optics, he released a breath he didnt realize he'd been holding, before sitting down in the corner, staring off into space. Outside, Bumblebee was knocking on the door, begging for him to let him in, but Jazz didnt answer. All he wanted was to be left alone...or did he really? He looked up though, as a conversation on the other side of the door caught his attention.

"Jazz?" one of the voices suddenly called his name. It belonged to Ratchet. The lieutenant squirmed uneasily in the corner, hugging his knees close to him. "Jazz? Please open the door..." the silver mech swallowed a few times in a try to get rid of the feeling of a lump in his throat, but to no avail. The medic pounded on the door and Jazz closed his optics hard, taking in long deep breaths, fighting to hold back the tears that threatened to escape his optics.

"...Leave me alone..", he managed to get out through a broken voice and buried his face in his arms, hoping that his friends would listen to his pleading. He couldnt hear anything anymore. No voices, no knocks on the door, no nothing. Still trembling, he moved carefully into a lying position on the floor. He then curled up, holding his arms protectingly around himself and eventually fell into recharge.

* * *

"Bumblebee! For the last time, stop that!" Ironhide's gruff voice came from the couch. The yellow little spy was still positioned outside the lieutenant's door, leaning his head against it as if trying to eavesdrop. He now glared at the weapons specialist shortly before finally getting up, joining his friend by the tv.

"He wont talk to me..", there was a slight touch of sadness in Bumblebee's voice as he said this and the black mech turned his head lazily to glance at him before turning back to the extremely interesting movie on the tv.

"Dont worry..he'll be fine." The yellow bot wasnt convinced at all.

"But it's not like him to act like this...", he kept on arguing, not being able to let the matter go. The room fell silent and both of them continued to watch the film.

"I dont get it...", Ironhide murmured after some time, tilting his head to the side as if trying to get another view of it.

"What?" Bee asked, not taking his optics off the tvscreen. The weapons specialist pointed at the tv.

"That! The human in the tv said that this would be a 'horror movie'. It means that this film is supposed to be scary, but it's not. I dont get it...It's about a human female who crawls out of a well and then she crawls out of the tv...how is that even logical?"

"Beats me", the smaller bot replied and shrugged.

* * *

_-Next day-_

Jazz flinched and jumped at the sudden unexpected pounding on his door and he realized that he'd fallen asleep. Feeling a little dazed, he focused his optics on the door, noticing that the room was a lot brighter than before. He clutched at the lower part of his stomach, feeling the pain crawling back through his body.

"Jazz?!" he jumped again and struggled to sit up. This time it was Ironhide who called for him. "Are you awake? You've been recharging all morning!" the lieutenant shuddered as he got up on his feet. Everything was silent for a while before Ironhide continued. "Come on out now!.....Please Jazz..." the silver bot swallowed, thinking of a good excuse not to come out, but couldnt find one.

"I....", he started. "I'm a little tired...I'll join you guys later.." he wasnt sure that his friend had heard him speaking. The truth was that he was actaully tired, or exhausted might be a more fitting description. His world was still spinning and he didnt seem to be able to get out of this state of shock that he was still in. What worried him was that he hadnt been able to cry yet, even though he felt like it was the only thing in the world that he truly wanted to do right now.

"Jazz?!" his optics widened at the sound of his leader's rumbling voice. "Get out here now!" the lieutenant didnt answer but made his way over to the door hesitatingly. He swallowed and grabbed the doorknob carefully. Not wanting to disobey Optimus, he unlocked it and stepped out of the room. Optimus, Ironhide and Bumblebee watched him worridly, though Optimus' optics had a rather stern look to them.

"Something is wrong and I want to know what it is...now", Jazz didnt want to disobey his boss, but at the same time this was something private. No one had anything to do with it. He didnt want to tell anyone about it at all. Looking up slowly, he locked optics with Bumblebee. The yellow bot looked both sad and worried and his optics then wandered to Ironhide's and finally to Optimus'.

"Nothing's wrong....I'm just tired....they beat me up pretty bad...but I'm fine...honestly.." no one seemed convinced. Prime's optics narrowed as he turned his head to the other two.

"Ironhide..Bumblebee..I want you and Ratchet to go ahead. Me and Jazz will be joining you soon." The silver mech looked confused suddenly.

"Where are we going?" he asked cautiously.

"We're going to meet up with Sam and Captain lennox down at the lake", Ironhide informed him and shifted a little uncomfortably at the look that Optimus gave him.

"Go..", their leader said simply. Jazz watched as Ironhide and Bumblebee proceeded towards the exit of the building and the yellow bot waved sadly at him. He hated to feel weak and he didnt want anyone to have pity on him either. As the door closed and they were alone in the room, Optimus spoke up again.

"Going to tell me?" Jazz strolled across the room and seated himself on the couch, sighing heavily.

"I'm just a little shaken..that's all....please Optimus..I really dont wanna talk about it..."

"I see.....", Prime crossed his arms over his chest, his features softening slightly. "Well...it's time to go. They are awaiting us....we'll talk about this later." The lieutenant looked up at him at this and nodded.

A couple of minutes later, they both rolled down the street, heading towards the lake they were supposed to spend the day at. No one uttered a word during the little trip over there and the closer they got to the lake, the more Jazz started to regret coming along at all. How was he supposed to pretend that everything was ok? That he was his usual happy self...Well..maybe it was a good opportunity to do something..to take his mind off everything that had happened the last 24 hours.

* * *

_-At the lake-_

When they arrived, Jazz was surprised at how desolated the place was. That was probably the reason why they were there. No humans would be there to eventually discover them. Except for Sam and Lennox of course. As the two of them strolled over the small beach, Captain Lennox got up from his sitting position in the sand, to greet them.

"Hey there big guys!" he walked up to them, followed by Sam. Optimus crouched down to sit on the strange surface that the humans liked to call sand.

"Greetings" he nodded to the captian and smiled at Sam. "It's a nice place...this......beach", he gazed out over the water, while Jazz sneaked around them and over to his teammates, sitting down next to Ironhide.

"Yea, and there are never any people here", Sam followed Prime's gaze with his eyes as he said this. "I think it's because the water is so dirty here. No one wants to go for a swim."

"Go for a swim?" Ratchet questioned, looking slightly confused, while Bumblebee happily hugged Jazz, glad that his friend had finally arrived.

"We humans do it for fun. It's nice with a refreshing swim in the lake on a hot day like this", Lennox explained and Ratchet nodded slowly, looking like he didnt really understand.

"Why would anyone want to get wet", Ironhide grunted, getting everyone's attention. He then shuddered at the thought and the humans smiled as Bumblebee pushed him playfully.

"It's a human thing", Sam grinned and went to sit next to the yellow bot. Silence filled the air for a moment, where everyone just gazed out over the water, fascinated by the beautiful surroundings. However, Optimus decided to break the silence with a rather serious matter.

"Captain", he started, getting Lennox's attention. "Concerning the remaining deceptions.." Jazz looked up at this, feeling a knot beginning to form in his stomach.

"Yes...", Lennox answered thoughtfully and the others watched him curiously. "We definitely need to do something about that....cant have them running around..." Jazz swallowed a lump in his throat, quickly getting reminded of what he had been trying to forget. Without hesitation, he raised to his feet.

"I...I'm going for walk..", he informed the others quietly, not wanting to hear anything more about decepticons. His friends seemed temporarily confused and Ironhide raised as well.

"Jazz..", the black mech's face expression changed into a worried one and Bumblebee looked up at the silver bot, touching his leg slightly, but Jazz ignored both of them, turned and started walking slowly. Ironhide followed him a few steps.

"Jazz?" he was about to grab his arm when Optimus' sharp voice stopped him.

"Ironhide." The weapons specialist stopped dead in his tracks and turned to his boss.

"But.."

"No!" the leader barked, but watched a bit worried as his lieutenant sauntered away from them, up the road they came from. They all watched in silence and Bumblebee sighed sadly, wanting to follow him.

Time passed by where the autobots who remained at the beach, kept discussing their situation, together with Lennox and Sam. When the sun was slowly beginning to disappear behind the horizon, Optimus felt that maybe it was time to go back to the base. What surprised him though was that when they arrived back home, Jazz was nowhere to be seen. He, as well as the others had expected the silver bot to be here...where else would he be.....None of them were able to contact him either and Optimus felt the fear building up in his chest, the fear of that the decepticons had anything to do with it.

* * *

And that was chapter 2 xD obviously. I hope you liked it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for reviewing ^^ you guys really keep ****me motivated to continue this story**

* * *

Hours passed and Jazz still hadnt showed up, which worried all of them of course. Bumblebee had been seated by the gate of the base all evening, looking up and down the street, hoping to get to see a silver car appear in the distance, but it was all just wishful thinking. Ironhide had wanted to go and look for Jazz as soon as they had noticed that he was gone, but Optimus had forbidden it, trying to convince the others that it was better to search for him after dark, to not arouse any suspiciouns among the humans. Darkness came eventuelly and they went out looking for their comrade. They even contacted their human friends in a desperate try to widen the search, but with no luck. They had fine-combed the area and even tried to look up what the decepticons were up to but they couldnt seem to find any clues whatsoever.

Another day went by and the autobots' worry for their friend increased immensely. Ironhide was especially frustrated and concerned and didnt seem to be able to rest at all.

"Ironhide....go and recharge..you need it", Optimus told him calmly as he walked over to the depressed weapons specialist. The said autobot just shoke his head slowly, not turning away from the window to face his leader. Heavy rain was falling outside, making everything look even darker and more gloomy than before.

"How can I when Jazz might be in danger?....he could be hurt...or worse..." Optimus remained quiet for a while.

"I know....", he said finally. "I'm going out again. Stay here and get some rest..", he headed for the main entrance of the building. "and that's an order", he added with a stern voice. This time, Ironhide turned and stared at him. Their opticts met for a short moment before Optimus disappeared outside.

-----------------------

Somewhere in another part of town, a pontiac solstice was rolling down a dark street, which was only lit by a few streetlights on the sidewalk. No matter how fast or how far he drove, he didnt seem to be able to run away from his problems. He knew it was wrong of him to just leave without telling anyone but he needed room to think..some space. Guilt consumed him as he speeded up a bit, deciding to head back for the HQ. He just hoped that Optimus wouldnt be too mad at him....fat chance....

-----------------------

About half an hour later, Jazz had finally reached the forest which was the only thing standing between him and his home. The small road had become muddy and slippery because of the rain and he had to struggle not to slide off. He turned his headlights on when the darkness began to fall, hoping that the rain would stop anytime soon.

"Huh...?" the sudden sound of an approaching vechicle reached his audio receptors and he slowed down a bit, listening carefully. In the light of his headlights he could discern a dark car closing in on him. The closer it came, the more Jazz realised that he recognized it. He hit the breaks as fast as he could manage without losing control. The black car in front of him transformed, looking surprised for a second but it soon faded as he started smirking at the autobot. Jazz felt his spark beating faster as he transformed as well, backing away slowly.

"Not you.." he started trembling as he transformed his right hand into a gun, poorly aiming it at the decepticon. Barricade smirked and walked closer calmly.

"Well well..I certainly didnt except to see you sometime soon", he teased, watching the frightened autobot. "Why so scared?" his smirk grew wider.

"Dont come any closer....I'm warning you", the silver bot growled with unsteady voice as he kept backing away.

"Dont worry...I'm just out for some fresh air", the decepticon replied and took a few big steps towards Jazz, grabbing him. Before the autbot had a chance to react though, another vehicle made it's way through the forest, lighting up the area. Both robots were surprised to see a big red and blue truck stop in front of them.

"Optimus!" Jazz exclaimed. Both fear and relief washed over him as he watched his leader transform into robotform. Barricade on the other hand growled, his grip tightening around the autobot.

"You!" Optimus rumbled, glaring at Barricade as he stepped forward, aiming his gun at him. "Jazz, go!" the silver bot hesitated but then struggled a little as the decepticon let him go and backed away, keeping his optics on Optimus. "Go!" Jazz didnt need to be told one more time. He transformed quickly and took off down the road, heading for the headquarters.

"You should keep an eye on your soldiers Prime..", Barricade smirked, taking a few sidesteps. "They seem to tend to run off on their own." All the anger, frustration and worry that Optimus had felt the last 24 hours came back to him and he allowed himself to lose control, hitting the decepticon with all he'd got, pinning him down in the mud.

"How dare you", he growled, boring his narrowed optics into Barricade's. "What did you do to him?!" Despite the pain of being crushed, the decepticon managed to smirk.

"Oh...nothing much", he teased. "Just...having some fun", the smirk grew wider from the confusion in Optimus' features. The autobot growled and pushed him down harder.

"What kind of fun?!" he demanded to know, starting to lose his patience.

"Just some cuddly, dirty kind of fun..you know", he replied calmly, with a teasing voice. "He was so nice and tight...yess..it was truly a pleasant experience...I'm sure my fellow decepticons would say the same." He watched, satisfied as Optimus' angry face changed into a shocked and horrified one and the autbot stiffened, completely stunned at the moment. Guilt and angst filled his spark as he uttered the only word he could manage at the time.

"No........you're..lying.." he breathed.

"Am I?" Barricade smirked. "Just ask him yourself." Optimus losened his grip on the decepticon slightly.

"No......" he shoke his head. "...Noo......." Barricade took his chance to kick the autobot off, getting up quickly, trying to whipe most of the mud off himself.

"I'm sorry Prime", he smirked. ".....No...I'm not." He then transformed into carmode and took off, laughing. Optimus made no attempt to get up.

-------------------------

Jazz made his way through the forest, as fast as he could, without looking back and did not stop until he reached the base. The rain was finally beginning to subdue as he transformed at the gate, still a bit shaken from his meeting with Barricade. Something caught his eye and he looked up the road to the building and spotted Ironhide. They both stared at each other and Jazz noticed the stiffness in his friend's body as he made his way over to him without a word.

"Jazz...", Ironhide seemed slightly stunned. "Are you alright? What happened?......" Jazz swallowed and squirmed, a little uneasy. "Did the decepticons..?" the silver bot shoke his head quickly and lowered his optics to the ground.

"No.....I just.....I needed......", he became silent, searching for the right words. "I needed some time alone......I know I shouldnt have..." Ironhide stared at him, before snorting.

"You just..? You just took off?!" Jazz looked up at this, clearly not prepared for his friend's outburst. "Do you have any idea of how worried we've been?! Do you have any idea of what you put us through?!....What you put me through?!" Jazz was speechless. He definitely hadnt expected this reaction.

"..I'm sorry..", he replied with unsteady voice, not being able to explain himself.

"You're sorry?....Jazz...we've been out searching for you ever since you disappeared. We thought you were....", he paused to breathe. "I havent been able to rest...knowing that you might've been hurt..or worse", he muttered, walking back and forth in a try to calm down.

"..I'm sorry....", the lieutenant whispered, not meeting the other autobot's optics. "There's no excuse for what I did......I just.....I just......I'm so sorry...." Ironhide stopped suddenly, relenting at the tone in Jazz's voice. He watched the smaller bot tremble and immediatly regreted yelling at him.

"Jazz...", he said this with a soft voice as he approached him. "I'm sorry.....I was just so worried....", he grabbed the silver bot's arm and pulled him to him, embracing him carefully. Jazz stiffened for a second before relaxing, wrapping his arms around the bigger bot. They remained like that for a long time, no one uttering a word. He struggled to keep the tears from escaping his optics and closed them as he felt Ironhide's hand stroking his back in a comforting manner. Neither of them noticed a truck driving down the road, comming to a stop outside the gate.

-------------

Optimus slowly transformed and looked up at his soldiers. His usual upright walkingstyle had completely vanished and his shoulders slumped as he made his way up the path in silence, but he stopped a distance away, watching as they separated. Both bots turned when they noticed their boss down the road.

"Optimus", Ironhide nodded to him but got no answer. "Are you..alright?" Prime took a few steps closer, keeping his optics on Jazz.

"Yes...I'm fine...excuse me.." he passed them by and went inside the base, closing the door carefully behind him. Both remaining bots exchanged glances, before Ironhide put an arm around Jazz's shoulders.

"Come on", he lead him towards the door. "I think the others might want to know that you're back."

----------

"Jazz!" the lieutenant smiled tiredly as Bumblebee ran over to hug him. "We were so worried! What happened?" he wanted to know as he let go and backed one step. Jazz shoke his head and avoided meeting his friend's opticts.

"Nothing really...I dont wanna talk about it right now...", both Bee and Ratchet looked disappointed and frustrated and Ironhide shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry for....taking off like that..." he added and glanced at Ironhide. "I better go and talk to Optimus about it...he seemed upset....", with that said, he pushed pass the others and headed down the corridor with his spark pounding fast inside his chest.

-------------------

He found Optimus in the basement. The leader of the autobots was seated on the couch, his elbows were resting on his tights and his face was buried in his hands. Jazz lingered in the doorway, watching him for a few seconds before deciding to speak up.

"...Optimus?..." Prime flinched and looked up quickly, seemingly startled by the other bot's presence.

"Jazz....", he used the couch for support as he got up slowly, almost hesitatingly and approached the lieutenant. They stared at each other for a while before Jazz opened his mouth.

"I..uh.....I just wanted to apologize...for...you know..running off like that..", he said and looked down, feeling extremely guilty and ashamed for having caused his teammates so much trouble and worry.

"Jazz....", a sorrowful expression spread over Optimus' features.

"I just needed to be alone....I'm really sorry...."

"It's alright...", Prime took one step closer.

"No..it's not.....", Jazz shoke his head slowly, still not looking at his leader. "I dont know what I was thinking..." there was silence for a moment.

"Jazz........I know...." there was silence again and Jazz finally looked up at him.

"..What do you mean...?" he asked, clearly confused.

"I..mean exactly what I'm saying", Jazz swallowed, not at all liking the concerned, pityful expression on his leader's face. "I know Jazz....I know what they did to you...." Optimus watched as Jazz's confused expression turned into a shocked one and then to a fearful.

"....What do you mean....did..?" the silver bot stuttered and swallowed a lump on his throat. "They didnt do anything.....why do you think..?"

"..Barricade told me....", Prime replied warily, watching Jazz's pathetic try to hide the truth. The lieutenant's face expression turned from fearful to angry suddenly.

"Well...he lied!" too late though, he realized his mistake and fell silent, watching Optimus, horrified.

"Jazz...please....I want to help you....", he took one step closer and Jazz backed one step. "I cant imagine....the pain you....", he watched as the silver bot turned and walked along the wall, to finally sink to the floor with his back to it. "I just wish you would have told me....", the words that Prime thought would sound confident came out as a mere whisper. A couple of tears ran down Jazz's cheeks.

"Well..you werent supposed to know..", Jazz said with an angry voice, turning away, but somehow, in a strange sort of way, he felt a bit relieved. He pulled his knees up, burying his face in his arms as Optimus approached him. "Please leave me alone..."

Optimus crouched down in front of him, not knowing what to say.

"...Could you...at least let Ratchet have a look at you..?" he asked with a soft, caring voice, hoping that he wouldnt upset his friend. Jazz looked up at him, fear showing in his optics.

"No...you cant tell anyone!.....Please Optimus....", Prime looked into his desperate optics before grabbing his arms carefully.

"Calm down.......I'm just......." he looked away for a second. "I'm worried that you might be hurt.." Jazz swallowed, not wanting to meet his leader's optics.

"I'm fine......"

"You're not fine!" Jazz was startled by Optimus' suddenly angry voice and squirmed uneasily. "Please...let me help you...I wont let this tear you down..." Prime watched as his lieutenant started trembling and to his surprise, leaned forward, wrapping his arms around him. Optimus smiled sadly and embraced him. They separated after a moment and Jazz got up quickly, slowly making his way towards the door.

"Optimus...?" he turned back to look at his leader, who also got up on his feet again. "Promise me that you wont tell anyone...?" Prime sighed and realized that there was no use in trying to convince Jazz to change his mind, so he simply accepted. It was with a heavy heart that he said:

"I promise.."

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**This chapter was fun to write x) so tell me what you think of it?**


	4. Chapter 4

**:D It's always nice to get new readers. Thanks for taking the time to read my little story ^^ I hope you'll enjoy the upcoming chapters! **

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Jazz quickly left the basement, not really waiting for Optimus to follow him. He was surprised to find that Bumblebee was waiting for him upstairs and gave the yellow bot a tired smile.

"Hello Bee..", he kept walking down the hallway as he said this and his friend followed, curious and still concerned. None of them said a word to each other until they reached the kitchen where Bumblebee proceeded with making some tea, as the humans liked to call it. offering his friend a cup.

"Sorry Bee...I dont feel like eating anything right now...I think I'm just gonna get some rest..." and with that said he sauntered away towards the livingroom area. All he wanted to do right now was to get some sleep but on the other hand he didnt think he'd be able to sleep. With all the thougths running through his mind at the moment, he figured that it'd be better if he could distract himself for a while. Tv seemed like a good option. A fascinating entertainment that the humans had fixed for them at their base in case they'd get bored for some reason. Although it was sometimes hard for them to understand what was going on in the tvshows, they still enjoyed watching them.

When he reached the livingroom, he spotted Ironhide on the couch. The weapons specialist had been the one most interested in their new installation. He liked to watch all those voilent action movies. Especially the ones where they used lots of weapons and where things blew up. Trotting over to the couch, Jazz sat down in the corner of it, next to Ironhide. The black mech turned to him, watching him with the same concerned optics as the others had.

"You ok buddy?" he asked softly, placing his arm on the backsupport behind the silver bot. Jazz stared at the tv stubbornly, refusing to meet the other bot's optics.

"Yea...fine..." he then closed his optics and leaned against the backsupport, signaling that the conversation was over. Ironhide stared at him for another second before turning back to the tvscreen. Some minutes passed by where the black mech enjoyed the movie he was watching and Jazz fell asleep eventually, still sitting, leaned against the backsupport. Half an hour later, Ironhide grunted, annoyed that the movie was over already. He turned to his friend, who'd been so quiet that he had almost forgotten that he was there with him. That's when he noticed that he had fallen into recharge.

"Jazz....?" he studied him for a second before deciding to turn the tv off. The lieutenant seemed to be in deep sleep. Ironhide shuffled a bit closer, watching his friend closely.

'Poor thing...he must be exhausted..' he thought and let the arm on the backsupport slide down slightly to stroke Jazz's shoulder with his hand, without really putting the arm around him. He took some time to study the many cuts and bruises that was now covering the silver bot's arms and lower body. They scratched against his fingers as he touched them, and he hissed, not wanting to imagine the pain that his friend must've experienced during his time with the decepticons. Jazz mumbled something in his sleep suddenly and moved a little, before going back to being completely still again. Ironhide stiffened, afraid that he'd woken his friend, so just in case, he waited a few seconds before leaning in slowly, cupping the lieutenant's cheek with his hand, carefully stroking it. A sudden movement in Jazz's body made the weapons specialist pull back quickly though, watching him with a racing heart. The silver bot sighed, still not waking up and Ironhide grunted, feeling his cheeks heating up a bit.

"I better get you to bed...", he then raised from the couch and hesitatingly scooped the smaller bot up in his arms. Jazz looked very peaceful at the moment and Ironhide couldnt help but smile as he walked into the said bot's bedroom. It was a bit dark but he managed to find the mattress on the floor that served as his friend's bed. None of them had real beds. Mostly because there were no transformer sized beds..yet, but also because they were not used to recharging on anything soft and wanted to try something less complicated than beds. As he put Jazz down on the mattress, Ironhide thought of how thankful he was for all the work that their human friends had put up with to give the autobots a good place to stay while on earth. Even though it was clearly inspired by human houses and some of the things in the building confused them. As he was about to leave the room, deep in his own thoughts, a small voice broke through and into his tired mind.

"..'Hide..?" the black mech turned at the sound of his name and stared, a little surprised that his friend was awake.

"...Yes..?" he went back to the mattress and crouched down. Jazz was quiet for a while, pulling his fingers over the soft surface of the mattress as if thinking of what to say.

"Heh...I fell asleep...."

"..Yeah..." when Ironhide smiled at him he looked down, suddenly finding the mattress very interesting. "Thought this would be more comfortable than the couch.." the black bot added quietly. Jazz didnt reply though. The weapons specialist remained still for a moment before raising from the floor.

"I'll leave you alone now..." with this said, he walked over to the doorway, glancing at Jazz over his shoulder. The silver bot watched him go. As the door closed and darkness surrounded him, he soon drifted off to sleep again.

----------------------------

_Tall buildings towered over him, almost as if they were watching __him. It was dark all around him, only a few street lights lightened his way, but where was he? A horrible feeling of that someone was following him made his spark beat fast as he moved on through the foggy streets before him. Suddenly, dark shadows appeared all around him and he panicked and ran. Running for all he was worth, through what seemed to be an endless tunnel. A cold hand stopped him though and he yelped, trying to escape its grip, but to no avail. _

"_Hey there....", he recognized that voice all too well. Barricade. The shadows around him turned into Starscream, Blackout and Bonecrusher. They all circled him, smirking. He struggled some more and managed to break free from the decepticon's grip. He was running again, constantly looking back over his shoulder, but they didnt follow him, instead they faded away into the darkness. He finally stopped, breathing heavily. A faint flash of yellow caught his attention as he fixed his optics on the form of Bumblebee. A smile of relief spread over his features as he ran up to his friend._

"_Bee! Am I glad to see you! The decepticons...they...they.......", the yellow autobot stared off into space, as if looking right through him, then he started walking slowly. _

"_Bumblebee?!" Jazz followed, desperatly trying to get through to him. The scout just kept walking slowly and no matter how fast the lieutenant ran, he just couldnt seem to catch up with him. Soon, Bumblebee faded away into the dark, the same way as the decepticons had. Fear struck him and he stopped, realizing that there was no reason to run anymore. _

"_Bee.....", a shuffling sound made him turn around quickly. Ratchet and Ironhide had appeared behind him, together with the decepticons. A silent fight was now taking place before him and all he could do was to stare in shock, confused at what to do. Optimus soon joined in. That's when he noticed that cold hand on him again. He stiffened, feeling a shill running down his spine as the grip on him tightened. As the hand started dragging him away, away from his comrades, he tried to scream but nothing came out. What scared him the most was that Bumblebee was standing in a corner, watching him with lifeless optics, not even trying to do anything. A loud cracking sound caught his attention and he looked back to the fight, just in time to see Starscream ripping Ironhide's head off his body. Jazz screamed again._

----------------------

A yelp escaped his throat as he sat up quickly, breathing heavily and shaking. He looked around the dark room for a while before realizing that he was in his bedroom, on his bed, in the safety of his own home. While trying to calm down, he thought the dream through, shuddering at how real it had felt and at how scared he'd been. He got up unsteadily, using the wall for support as he went over to the door, stumbling out of the room. The whole building seemed drowned in darkness. He sneaked down the hallway, spark beating fast, as he still had the creepy feeling that someone was following him. He passed Ironhide's room and continued through the dark corridor until he finally reached Optimus' door. Still breathing heavily, he raised a shaking hand hesitatingly, to knock, but to his surprise, the door was already slighly opened.

"...O-Optimus..?" he carefully pushed it open some more, only to be met with more darkness. His footsteps echoed as he strolled into the empty space, looking around. He felt the panic starting to come back to him as he realized that his leader was not there. "Optimus?" he called again but no one answered. A moment of silence passed by where Jazz pondered on what to do. After having thought the situation through he decided to head back to his own room. On his way there, he passed Ironhide's room again and slowed down a bit until he stopped finally. Without really thinking, he brought his hand up and knocked three times. For every second that passed by, he started to wonder if it had been such a good idea to knock in the first place, but before he had the chance to leave though, the door opened and a very tired Ironhide appeared in the doorway.

"...Jazz..?" he slurred slightly and the confusion in his voice was obvious. The silver bot squirmed uneasily, trying to explain himself.

"Uhm...I..uh..sorry to disturb you.....but I..", he swallowed and shrugged, embaressed and started to leave when Ironhide grabbed his arm.

"Jazz..?" he pulled him back carefully. "What's the matter with you...?"

"Nothing....I dunno...I just...I must have been...look...I should......go..." he tried to leave again but the grip on him tightened.

"Jazz..talk to me....", the hurt tone in his voice made the lieutenant look up, a guilty expression on his face.

"............I just had a nightmare..", he whispered. "That's all...." his optics traveled down again. Both were silent for a while.

"Nightmare huh?.....what about..?" Jazz squirmed again.

"I...dont remember..." the weapons specialist grunted, but let go of the smaller bot.

"Alright.....but why did you come here..?" Jazz seemed to be deep in thought but snapped out of it and looked up at Ironhide again. He swallowed, feeling his cheeks heating up.

"I....I'm scared........." the black mech stared at him, his expression changing into a pitiful one.

"Ooh Jazz......", he sighed and pulled his friend into his room, closing the door behind them. The silver bot swallowed, feeling slightly uneasy in the dark room.

"Come on...", Ironhide led him to his mattress, sitting him down on it and Jazz took the liberty to lie down, huddling.

"Relax...", Ironhide sat down next to him, stroking his arm carefully. "Must've been a hell of a nightmare huh?..You're shaking.." the lieutenant shuddered once, before trying to relax.

"Yeah...." Jazz replied with a weak voice, closing his optics hard. He flinched slightly when the hand on him moved too close to his shoulder for comfort and guilt and angst washed over him as Ironhide pulled back, having noticed the reaction. Jazz was confused. It felt good when 'Hide touched him but at the same time he couldnt help but feel so uncomfortable. He desperatly needed to be held and comforted but his body rejected any physical contact and he didnt know what to think anymore.

"Are you sure you dont remember anything?....You seem pretty upset", the black mech commented as he lay down next to the mattress, staring up into the ceiling. The silver bot hesitated, not sure if he should tell his friend or not. He did get his head ripped off. The thought of it made him shudder, earning a strange look from the other bot.

"Are you cold..?" Ironhide wondered, turning around to face him. Jazz shoke his head slowly, not meeting his opticts.

"No.......I'm ok...." he replied, starting to calm down. The vision of his dream was slowly fading away and it seemed more and more unreal by the minute. Closing his optics hard, he decided on trying to forget about it and get some well needed sleep.

"Alright then.......", silence filled the room for a minute before Ironhide opened his mouth again. "Goodnight Jazz..."

-----------

He was sure that at least half an hour had passed by now, but still, he was awake. Jazz turned over on his back for a few seconds but found it uncomfortable and turned back towards his friend. It was so dark that he could hardly make out any details but he was very sure of that the bot in front of him was deep asleep. He should be sleeping too. He was exhausted, but something kept him awake. The sudden sound of rain falling onto the roof surprised him and he flinched, letting his optics travel up towards the ceiling. The sound was calming, yet annoying since he was trying to sleep. He shuffled forward a little, with the plan of getting a bit closer to his recharging friend. What he didnt expect though, was that the mattress would come to an end and he slipped right down onto Ironhide. The bigger mech grunted, and Jazz was stunned, unable to move at the moment.

"Jazz...what...?" the weapons specialist slurred and brought his hands up to grab him. The lieutenant gasped as Ironhide's hands touched his waist and he pushed himself off and shuffled away until the wall stopped him. "Jazz..?" the black mech sat up, about to reach over to him when Jazz flinched, obviously frightened by his advances.

"Dont...", the silver mech pleaded, his widened optics fixed on the other bot. Ironhide watched him, concerned, but stayed where he was, while Jazz made his way back to the mattress without a word.

"Another nightmare..?" the silver mech shoke his head and lay back down.

"No........I slipped......" there was silence.

"Oh...", came 'Hide's reply before he too, lay down again. The both stared at the ceiling for a long time. Ironhide was trying to figure out the reason for his friend's behavior and Jazz was beginning to wonder where Optimus had gone. He needed to talk to Optimus...but....at least Ironhide was here with him. He'd been so nice to him lately...so understanding....He turned over on his side, facing Ironhide.

"..'Hide...?" the black mech turned his head slowly, blinking tiredly at him.

"Yes...?" Jazz shuffled a little, reaching his arm out, letting his hand rest on Ironhide's arm. The said bot stiffened shortly but soon relaxed and moved his free arm a little, as if he was about to touch Jazz, but stopped himself, remembering his friend's earlier reactions.

"Hm...", he grunted, a little frustrated, and watched as the smaller bot closed his optics. "Goodnight Jazz..." he could see a small smile spreading over the silver bot's face.

"G'night 'Hide...."

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End file.
